Best Advice for Newbie Hostellers (Competition)

As part of our 5th anniversary for hihostels website, we have decided to run this fun competition for our visitors to leave their advice for people who have never stayed at a HI hostel before. We are always getting enquiries asking us what’s it like to stay in a hostel, are there chores to do, can I cook my own food, what’s it like hostelling in another country, and many, many more.

Great Resource for Hostellers

We want to give our visitors the best advice we can, and there is nobody better to do this, than from our loyal members and people who have already stayed at our hostels. We would like this page to be a great resource for newbie hostellers and so would like to ask you to leave any advice you can for our new visitors.

The comment you leave could be advice in general, tips you have picked up on your travels, help for a specific country or even advice for a specific hostel itself, the choice is entirely yours. Feel free to link out to your chosen HI hostel or any picture you would like to include with your comment.

After you have left your comment here, why not visit our Best HI Hostel and Why page and tell us all about your favourite HI hostel. You can win a prize for leaving a comment there too!

Competition Details

Everyone who leaves a comment on this page will be automatically entered into our 5th Anniversary Competition draw where a winner will be chosen at random in 5 weeks’ time on Thursday 23rd June. The prize for the winner will be a Fujifilm Finepix AV10 Digital Camera. Please read our Competition T&Cs for full details.

When you leave your comment, you will be asked to supply an email address, and it will be this email we use to contact the winner so please ensure you type it correctly.

Best Advice for Newbie Hostellers

So thanks in advance for anyone who leaves a comment and happy hostelling to everyone!

EARPLUGS! Definitely don’t forget to bring earplugs with you. This is pretty obvious if you are staying in dorms (some people snore!), but it’s true even if you’re in a private room. You don’t want to get woken up by doors slamming, street traffic etc.

It’s also worth bringing an EYEMASK in case the curtains are thin… especially in summer when the sun comes up early.

1. Do not overpack. Less is more, you will regret bringing too much because you’ll end up buying things anyways.
2. Earplugs and eyemask. People are sometimes loud at hostels or lights are on. It can be a disturbance for light sleepers.
3. Be open to meeting new friends and strangers. If you are getting the creepy vibe from someone, heed your intuitions.
4. Do travel with new friends. You will have SO MUCH FUN.
5. Do your research before going to a new country. Organize all important papers and keep a small light journal to write all info/numbers down.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask strangers for directions- most people are friendly and will help you.

Be friendly and open to meeting new people – you’ll see some amazing sights and sometimes have some confronting experiences, so it’s good to be able to talk to others about what you are doing and have seen – plus you’ll pick up lots more helpful tips and advice about what’s on in town!

Don’t forget to bring some perspective! You will encounter some snorers (although I doubt you’ll ever experience the Human Tractor who shared our dorm in DC!), but it’s worth thinking about all those other people who are still at home, and need to get up in the morning to go to the same boring jobs they have been doing for years…

And bring a small torch – it’s the considerate way of finding your bed late at night without turning on the lights, and you can stay in your bunk and shine it in the face of “the snorer” if you need to disturb him during the night!

Just try it. You will save lots of money than staying at a hotel. You have everything you need from lockers for your personal items to kitchens for cooking. You will meet many new people and have the opportunity to make friends from around the world. You will have fun sharing your own life and experiences with others.

Hi Hostel accommodations are not only for the young,it is also for the “young at heart”.As a senior member of society my husband and I, age 80 yrs and 70 yrs respectively have stayed at hostels in Taiwan and Hainan and found it just like being at home.The option to book ensuite private rooms is great.Meeting and circulating amongst the younger crowd makes us feel like being in the midst of family members,unlike hotels which are so impersonal.I am not afraid to go solo as long as I am staying at a HI Hostel.Many young people are quick to help with the luggage to the room,to the taxi,etc.
When the host organised a pre Chinese New Year get-together,there was much merry making and cultural exchanges.Truly a warm and enriching experience.

Love staying at a good hostel! I actually wrote up a list of tips and hints for a first time hostel goer that applies here, hopefully any of your readers who stumble on this page will benefit from it, you can check it out here: Random Hostel Tips